I’m a vet & there are 4 cat breeds I would never buy – one’s aggressive and anotherhas major health issues
AN EXPERIENCED vet has revealed the top four cat breeds he personally wouldn’t buy and shared the reasons behind his opinions.
Ben took to his social media to speak out on the topic, where he explained: “I’m a vet and here are four cat breeds I would never choose to buy.
“I say buy because if it was a rescue situation and they needed to be adopted, then that’s different and I would consider them.”
Sharing that this list has been curated based off his own personal experience as a vet, she went on to share the first cat he wouldn’t buy is a Bengal.
He explained that while they are beautiful and he can see why people like them so much, there’s one detail most people aren’t aware of.
“They’re a hybrid between a type of wild cat called an Asian Leopard cat and domestic cat breeds,” he said.
“So they’re still quite wild in terms of their behaviour and temperament. At the vet, they have a reputation for being quite aggressive.
“Usually, it’s out of fear, but they can actually be really quite dangerous to handle. They’re highly intelligent, they need a lot of stimulation and unfortunately a lot of homes just aren’t right for them.”
The next breed he said he wouldn’t get is the Sphynx cat, which he said is purely based on the fact that he would prefer to “cuddle a fluffy cat”.
He continued: “Another breed I would never buy is a Scottish Fold cat and the reason is that their curly ears, which is their most distinctive feature, is actually because of a cartilage disorder called osteochondrodysplasia.
“The problem is that this defective cartilage is also found in all of their joints and this means that they commonly develop painful arthritis at a young age.”
TikTok user @ben.the.vet then shared two x-rays of paws, where viewers could see normal joints at the bottom and “quite obviously diseased ones” at the top.
“For me, that is just cruel and unfair and I could never support their breeding,” he said.
And the number one breed he wouldn’t buy is the Persian cat.
He explained that the reason behind this is because of their flat faces, which causes many issues with their health and their day to day life.
“As with brachycephalic dog breeds like French Bulldogs and Pugs, there are some breeders that are trying to breed Persian cats with less extreme features,” he continued.
“But in my experience, they’re in the minority and on the whole people are just far too accepting of the health problems these cats have.”
Ben said he’s seen cats of this breed with their noses looking inverted, where their eyes go beyond their nose.
This can prevent cats from breathing properly.
And many have bulging eyes, too, Ben said, which means they’re quite prone to eye issues, “such as corneal ulcers”.
He went on: “They’re also have predisposed to heart disease and a problem called polycystic kidney disease, which studies have shown affects 40 percent of them.
“Oh and they’re prone to dental disease as well. So they’re a bit of a health disaster overall and for that reason, I could never buy one”.
People were quick to share their opinions on Ben’s video as one person wrote: “Poor persians, people really need to open their eyes”.
Another said: “My cat is Persian but bred to have an open face and has never had any issues thankfully”.
A third shared: “Funny enough all the Bengals I’ve met at the clinic (including my neighbourhood Bengal) have all been super friendly”.
Ben replied: “That’s good – perhaps I’ve been unlucky and met all the angry ones!”